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Glinda
The Great Glinda of Oz Glinda is the Good Witch of the South, ruler of the red Quadling Country, and the most powerful, respected and oldest female Sorceress in all the Land of Oz. She is forever immortal and rumored to be many hundreds of years old despite her youthful glow and radiant charm and charisma. This suggests and hints that she is not only immortal but possibly even a type of Fairy Goddess who is not entirely all human. Glinda is more commonly known as "Glinda the Good" for short. Original Baum Description Baum intended Glinda the Good to be a brave and sophisticated feminist who is a mastermind and operates like a genius. She is highly intelligent and dedicated to Oz more than any of the men also of high authority. She encourages female empowerment (which was uncommon when the book was first written in 1900.) Unlike most versions, in the book Glinda is not portrayed as a superficial giggling feather-brain, but a role model for girls to aspire to be like and is a force to be reckoned with. In the original stories and books by Baum, it never states that Glinda's character travels via floating magic bubble like the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz portrayed her to do. But the floating bubbles have been an element that many versions enjoy using for the theme of her overall character. Appearance Baum describes Glinda as being an unbelievably beautiful young woman in appearance yet is hundreds of years old in age. She is always seen dressed up formally even on regular occasions. Splendid ball gowns and fancy clean dresses fit for the wealthiest Queen are Glinda's choice of attire. Her elegant wardrobe consist of the finest fabrics such as silk, satin or velvet and usually of pure white, light pink or sometimes dark red, that gracefully trail behind her in a train as she walks. Appearances are very important to lady Glinda yet despite her vanity she is not shallow or materialistic. Glinda has delicate and flawless skin that resembles china or porcelain. She has healthy and thick rich hair that is of a reddish-copper which shines like silken strands of solid spun gold and styled in curled ringlets that flows over her shoulders and falls down her back. Her eyes are hypnotic and entrancing and are the color of a deep blue, like sparkling sapphires in the sunlight, which are always frank and smiling. Her face is soft with chiseled features, her high cheekbones are the envy of peach-blows and are naturally blushing the color of a light rogue. Her lips are red and full, and the shape of her mouth is as enticing as a baby rosebud. Despite her high title and respected position, Glinda never wears any accessories such as fine jewelry, for her natural beauty alone would deeply shame even the most rarest and precious gems in all the world. She only wears a tall golden crown upon her head encrusted with dozens of dangling red rubies. On occasions she sometimes carries a gold ruby scepter or glittering magic wand to cast only good spells that make the land of Oz a better place for everyone who lives there. Personality and lifestyle As one of the very few individuals authorised to legally practice the magic arts in the Land of Oz whenever she pleases, Glinda has often saved Oz as a whole when threatened, and is one whom Princess Ozma, the child Queen of Oz and other characters such as Dorothy Gale or the Scarecrow often turn to for help or advice when the people of Oz or the land in general is in any state of chaos or fatal trouble. It is also said that virtually nothing of any significant importance anywhere happens in Oz without Glinda's knowledge. For she is an Enchantress of all things magical and never fails to forget all of the historical events that take place from time to time in Oz, and she keeps everything updated and chronicled in her giant treasured Great Book of Records. In the Baum books, Glinda is not of royal blood or a descendent from royalty but she is the closest living individual in Oz who lives and looks like a real Queen, other than her royal highness princess Ozma of Oz. Glinda lives a luxurious and organized lifestyle filled with peace and good fortune. She owns a large magnificent castle of red rubies. Her kingdom is surrounded by fresh blossoming roses and gorgeous red plants and fluttering red butterflies. Glinda has exactly fifty attendants to fill her court. Her attendants are all female soilders who were chosen from the loveliest adolescent girls in each of the four countries of Oz. Glinda remains calm and collected, even in the most chaotic of situations. It is mentioned that Glinda is soft spoken, never raising her tone and having a voice filled with truth, dignity and concern for others. She is a compassionate and unselfish ruler who is loved by all who know her. Glinda is the wisest of the wise and rather private and secretive, for there is an intriguing mystery that surrounds her as no one knows how she is able to look so young regardless of her long life. She can do no wrong and she never makes mistakes, Glinda is everything a Good Witch should be and more, being effortlessly perfect. Her inside spirit is just as beautiful as her outside physical appearance; pure and unpoisoned. Glinda also has an unlimited amount of patience, for she displays acts of kindness and much of the time expects literally nothing in return. Glinda is incredibly helpful and she is always willing to listen to others who consult her, no matter how busy she may be as a Sorceress. She never loses her temper and does not believe in destroying or killing even the most evil of people and creatures who come her way, no matter how atrocious or unpleasant they may be. It can be inferred from the Soldier with the Green Whiskers' introduction to her that Glinda knew "how to keep young in spite of the many years she has lived", even before Queen Lurline enchanted Oz and stopped its inhabitants from aging. (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) According to General Guph, Glinda can also "command the spirits of the air". (The Emerald City of Oz) The long History of Glinda the Good Glinda is Ancient and has lived in Oz for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. Centuries ago, when Oz was ruled by a wicked king, Glinda placed the Forbidden Fountain on the grounds of the Royal Palace of Oz. He and all his subjects drank of it, and afterward grew wise together. (The Emerald City of Oz) Glinda became the Ruler of the Quadlings after vanquishing the Wicked Witch of the South. (Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz) Over a hunred years ago, Dorothy Gale visited Glinda on her first visit to Oz to ask for her help in returning to Kansas. The Good Witch told her of the charm of the Silver Shoes. Then she took the Golden Cap from Dorothy and commanded the Winged Monkeys to carry the Scarecrow back to the Emerald City, the Cowardly Lion back to the forest where he was made king, the Tin Woodman to the Winkie Country to rule as Emperor. She then gave the Cap to the Winged Monkeys, thereby freeing them forever. (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) When the Scarecrow was deposed as King of Oz by the Wizard who left as just as he came decades prior, Glinda politely declined to help him regain the royal throne in The Emerald City. And Instead initiated a long gruelling search across all the land of Oz, for thr rightful ruler of royal blood. The only heir to the throne of Oz was the long lost Princess Ozma, the daughter of King Pastoria who once ruled in a kingdom before the Wizard arrived. Glinda eventually learned that the Wizard of Oz had kidnapped Ozma when she was just a mere infant and had secretly taken her to a mean old Witch named Mombi who lived in the country of the purple Gillikans who inhabited the north lands. The Wizard made a deal with the old Witch Mombi to take the baby princess and hide her away forever and not ever tell a soul where she was. Mombi agreed to the Wizards favor and she magically transformed the royal infant Ozma, to a kitchen boy named Tip to work hard labor as her slave. Despite this disguise Mombi had made for the child Glinda finally captured Mombi and forced her to restore the long missing Ozma to her rightful form. (The Marvelous Land of Oz) When Dorothy visited the Land of Oz a second time, Glinda advised against her using the Magic Belt to return home, suggesting that it would be lost forever like the Silver Shoes she had used previously. (Ozma of Oz) Following the Wizard's return to Oz, Glinda took it upon herself to instruct the former humbug in the magical arts, and turn him into a real wizard. (Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, The Emerald City of Oz) After reading in her Great Book of Records about the Nome King's attempt to conquer Oz, Glinda placed a spell on the entire country to make it invisible to outsiders. (The Emerald City of Oz) Glinda read of Queen Ann's plan to conquer Oz in her Record Book, and redirected the queen and her army to the Nome Kingdom. (Tik-Tok of Oz) She sent the Scarecrow to help Trot and Cap'n Bill when they arrived in Jinxland. (The Scarecrow of Oz) When Princess Dorothy and Ozma went to the tribes of the Skeezers and the Flatheads and were trapped in the underwater island of the Skeezers, Glinda assembled a group of Ozma's counselors to help bring the underwater island back above water. (Glinda of Oz) Book Appearances * The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (first appearance) * The Marvelous Land of Oz * Ozma of Oz * The Road to Oz * The Emerald City of Oz * Tik-Tok of Oz * The Scarecrow of Oz * Glinda of Oz * Kabumpo in Oz * The Wonder City of Oz Glinda the Fashion Icon Kelly Osbourne portrayed Glinda the Good for jewelry designer Tarina Tarantino. Nightlife celebrity Amanda Lepore dressed up as Glinda for the Heatherrette clothing line. Glinda in Comedy Available to watch on YouTube, the long cancelled show MAD TV, made a spoof version of The Wizard of Oz. After the Wizard accidentally leaves Dorothy behind and floats away in his Hot Air Balloon, Glinda the Good appears before a distraught Dorothy and her companions. And Dorothy tells Glinda how she really feels about her... In Sequels by Modern Authors In Magician of Oz (2009), by James C. Wallace II, Glinda, along with Princess Ozma and Dorothy, greet young Jamie Diggs, the great grandson of O.Z. Diggs, when he arrives at Glinda's Red Brick Palace, courtesy of Polychrome and her father, the Great Rainbow. She also joins Jamie, Dorothy and Princess Ozma on a tumultuous journey in the Large Red Wagon, pulled by the Sawhorse through the Quadling Countryside on into the Winkie Country. She continues on and Bungle the Glass Cat joins the group as they board a raft bound for the Tin Palace of the Tin Woodman. In Magic Land In the Magic Land series, the Good Witch of the South is named Stella. In the first book, The Wizard of the Emerald City, she serves the same purpose as Glinda in Baum's version, telling Ellie (Dorothy) how to return home to Kansas by using the silver shoes. However, while Glinda remains active in Baum's subsequent books, Stella never appears in person in Volkov's alternate sequels, though she does send the Scarecrow a magical TV set — Volkov's equivalent of the Magic Picture. In The Wicked Years Glinda the Good Witch also appears in the apocryphal Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and Son of a Witch, where she, while still known as Galinda Upland, befriends Elphaba Thropp, the future Wicked Witch of the West. This version of Glinda resembles Billie Burke's Glinda in appearance and mannerisms. =In Other Media= In The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908), Evelyn Judson played Glinda. ''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939) Billie Burke portrayed Glinda as the Good Witch of the North (Instead of the South like in the books) in MGM's iconic musical version of The Wizard of Oz, the 1939 classic film. Despite Glinda being described as having long hair, a very youthful look and dressed in a white silk gown in Baum's books, Burke's Glinda is the most memorable portrayal of the character. With a feather brained and bubbly personality she is dressed in a glittering pink gown adorned with stars and butterflies, she holds a long magic wand, has short strawberry blonde hair and appears to be middle aged. ''The Wonderful Land of Oz'' In The Wonderful Land of Oz, Glinda is played by Hilary Lee Gaess. She sings 2 very memorable songs in the film, titled "Try To Touch a Star" and "I've Watched Over You" (in which she touchingly tells the Scarecrow that he possess not only a brain, but also a heart). She turns Tip back into Ozma herself in this version. ''Journey Back to Oz'' In Journey Back to Oz, Glinda is voiced by opera singer Rise Stevens. This incarnation of the character says that her magic is no match for Mombi's (the direct opposite of which was true in the canonical books), but she emboldens Dorothy with an operatic song called "You Have Only You (To Look To)", helps the young heroine the way the Queen of the Field Mice helped the protagonists in The Marvelous Land of Oz, and sends Dorothy back to Kansas by conjuring up another twister. Instead of the Book of Records, Glinda can tell what's going on elsewhere in Oz by using her Glinda Bird. The Wiz In The Wiz Glinda was portrayed by Dee Dee Bridgewater and in the movie version she was portrayed by Lena Horne. In this version, Glinda is a 'mother of the stars'. She lives up in the sky above the and of Oz and she is surrounded by a court of little baby stars that happily float all around her. In De musical The Wiz Glinda was played by Mathilde Santing. ''The Wizard of Oz'' (1982) In The Wizard of Oz (1982), Glinda appears in the Emerald City following the Wizard's departure, and reveals the secret of the Magic Shoes to Dorothy, without waiting for Dorothy to visit her in the South as in Baum's original novel. In this version, the Good Witch of the North is her sister. ''Return to Oz'' http://www.waltdisneysreturntooz.com/Cor_Glinda.jpg In Return to Oz, Glinda can be barely seen briefly in the background in the coronation scene during the celebration held within the throne room of the Emerald City. Anime In the anime adaptation, Glinda is portrayed as a tall, slender sorceress with long blue hair. She offers to make Dorothy a Princess of Oz when she first meets her, in return for all her heroic deeds, but Dorothy is determined to return to Kansas. When Jinjur and Mombi refuse to change their villainous ways, following Ozma's restoration to the throne, Glinda uses her magic to make them reform, against their will, thus preventing any further trouble from the rebel and the witch. As the series draws to an end, Glinda appears to magically save Dorothy from falling to her death, following an encounter with the Nome King and his minions. ''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' Miss Piggy plays Glinda, in 2005's The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. In this version she is also attracted to the Scarecrow who is played by Kermit the Frog (just like Miss Piggy is attracted to Kermit in "real life"). Oz the Great and Powerful In the 2013 Walt Disney Pictures film Oz: The Great and Powerful, Glinda was played by actress Michelle Williams. Glinda is the Good Witch of the South, and she opposes Wicked Witch Evanora's rule over the Emerald City. But Evanora has convinced Theodora that Glinda is actually the Wicked Witch. When Oz arrives, Glinda tries to motivate him to become the Wizard he was prophesied to be. After they succeed in driving out the witches, Glinda gains respect for the Wizard and begins a romance with him that is kept behind closed doors. Glinda portrayed in this version is a combination of all three Glinda's from the movie/play/book. *1939's film characteristic of having a bubbly personality. *Broadway's Wicked musical with having golden blonde hair. *Baum's original book of wearing all white gowns adorned in solid gold and remaining the Witch of the South. Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return This Glinda's CGI appearance is more close to Billie Burke's popular portrayal of the character. Glinda is given animated life by the voice talent of actress Bernadette Peters in Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return. Credits *''The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays'' (1908): Evelyn Judson *''The Wizard of Oz (1939): Billie Burke *The Wonderful Land of Oz (1969): Hilary Lee Gaess *Journey Back to Oz: Rise Stevens (voice) *The Wiz'' (1975 Broadway): Dee Dee Brightweather *''The Wiz'' (1978): Lena Horne *''The Wizard of Oz (1982): Wendy Thatcher *Wicked'' (2003): Kristin Chenoweth originated the role *''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' (2005): Miss Piggy *''The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's'' (VeggieTales) (2007): Madame Blueberry (Splenda the Sweet but non-fattening Fairy) *''Tin Man'' (2007): Anna Galvin as Lavender Eyes *''Oz: The Great and Powerful'' (2013): Michelle Williams *Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014): Bernadette Peters (voice) Merchandise In 2007, Jim Shore launched a special figurine of glinda based on her depiction on her own book. =Background= External Links *Fansite page Category:Oz Book Characters Category:Oz Movie Characters Category:Quadling Country Category:Wicked Characters Category:Witches Category:Rulers in Oz Category:Protagonists Category:Once Upon a Time Characters